Morning Manna

Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3

Battlefield of the Mind

What a great reminder my devotional was this morning. It is from Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind series.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:5

Joyce writes:

If a person is thinking according to the mind of Christ, what will his thoughts be like? They will be positive, that's for sure. Enough can never be said about the power of being positive. God is positive, and if you and I want to flow with Him, we must get on the same wavelength and begin to think positively, I am not talking about exercising mind control, but simply about being an all-around, positive person.

Warrior Aidan

Aidan started a new camp at church today called Warrior Prince Academy "Wearing the Armor." This is a camp where boys learn leadership development, chivalry, and scriptural truths of who they are in Christ Jesus. He had a great time today and has a new "Armor of God" set that he is super excited about!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Playing @ Peckham Park

We had a great time playing with friends today at the park. The heat didn't hold them back!

Hey Mom!

Weee!

Big Girl Swing

Bubble Time

This thing isn't going anywhere!

Buddies...Jake and Aidan

Riding the dino

Look mom, no hands!

Little Monkey

Buzzin around

More of the Story

Being prepped for a Cesarean is something I was definitely familiar with. It was a given with each pregnancy due to certain complications. I was prepared for the nerves, most likely the vomiting, the sting of the amniocentesis, the horrible antacid, pokes of needles, fabulous wardrobe and all. Walking to the OR and laughing with the anesthesiologist that had been with me from the beginning was comforting and familiar as well. I was filled with such excitement and anticipation to meet our third baby, Noah, just as I had been with Aidan and Emma.

Emotionally however, this birth was much different. I knew, because we had made the decision for my tubes to be tied, that this precious boy was our last. I knew that my surgery would be longer than normal which meant too much time would pass before I could meet our new addition. Everything had been explained to me in the doctors office the week before. How the procedure would be done, the amount of time it would take, how it would change my recovery. Regardless of what I already knew, I couldn't contain the tears. Mostly tears of joy, but also tears of finality. Before proceeding, the doctor asked if I wanted to go ahead with the tubal ligation. With a split second thought of saying no, I swallowed the lump and said yes. Aside from the painful reminders, I didn't go back and think about our decision much after that. What was done was done and we were truly blessed.

Most of you know the story from this point. We had 39 wonderful days with Noah and then he went to be with the Lord. It didn't take long before we were not only grieving over the loss of our son, but also the decision we had made in the OR that early morning of December 26th. I know without a doubt that the Lord is capable of anything, however, it doesn't mean that our hearts were not terribly saddened by the obstacle we would now face if we wanted to have another child.

As time passed, Stephen and I knew we would love to be blessed with another child. We wished we hadn't opted for my tubal, but understood it was part of our journey. After MANY months of praying, researching, praying, and saving we felt the Lord guiding us in a very specific direction.

Last month, we flew to North Carolina where a well known specialist performed a surgery to repair my tubes. We were beside ourselves to learn that he was able to successfully repair one side! PRAISE! We flew home with an abundance of gratitude on our hearts and many new hopes and dreams for our family.

We praise God for blessing us with the ability to have this surgery and for the new joy that he has placed in our hearts. We are so thankful, that on this path of unknowns, he walks ahead, with and behind us. So, the Lord begins a new journey in us. We have no idea where it takes us or what His plans are, but Stephen and I trust His path and will choose to walk it.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Morning Manna

The Love of God

From The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie

I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of god's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

Ephesians 3:17-20

Morning Manna

Because of the Lord's faithful love, we do not perish, for His mercies never end.

Lamentations 3:22

Paparazzi

OK, so some of you may be thinking that I am turning into the paparazzi mama, and I have to admit it is true. I realized how LITTLE I was using my camera and how quickly the kids are growing! To add to my camera compulsiveness, the kids actually ask to have their picture taken. So, once again, here are my cuties before we went to church last night.....

Of course they never BOTH want their picture taken at the same time!

Now he does!

Handy Man and the Dancer

Wow, this has been a full morning! The Handy Man came to fix odds and ends around the house and we took a princess to her new dance class. Although Aidan may not like it one day, I just could NOT resist the photo op. Emma enjoyed the first 30 minutes of dance, but decided to have a melt down with the last 15! Thank goodness her sweet freind Sarah Jane was with her!

Sweet Ballerinas

Ready for ballet class!

Ready for work Mom!

Blessings

She looked so sweet...I couldn't resist!

My little man on the way to church. He as SO excited about promoting to "big boy" Sunday school!

For anyone interested in a summer bible study, LPM is facilitating this one via the blog world! This is going to be a great experience and I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do. Go to Living Proof Ministries to find out more!

Marker Madness

I went to make a phone call today and while I was occupied (for LITERALLY a couple of minutes) my sweet little Emma got a hold of a marker. This is her masterpiece.

Notice the feet?

Mommy is making her clean it off!

Outside Fun

Painting and drawing

Stephen's chalk art!

My little monkey!

OK, so if you haven't noticed, my son is in full winter attire in the July afternoon heat! It was SO not worth the battle!

She IS the tether ball!

Swim Lessons

We started swim lessons this week! YEAH! We have had a few issues, but for the most part they are both doing well. Aidan loves his teacher and has done a great job doing what she asks. Emma cried a bit Monday, did a great job Tuesday and Wednesday, and wouldn't even get near the water today! Go figure! The pictures are a bit hazy because they are taken through the window, but I couldn't risk them seeing me and then wanting to come inside!

He LOVES the goggles!

Little fish!

Diving for toys.

Emma waiting patiently for Aidan to finish!

This is how Emma spends the majority of her lesson!

YEAH! She finally made it off the steps!

Saturday Splashing

We took the kids to La Centera to play in the water a couple weekends ago. The kids had a blast, but I was a nervous wreck! This place is SO conducive to an ER visit! I am not sure why the huge rocks were placed all around the wet, slippery ground, but in my opinion it wasn't thought through very well. Regardless, the kids had a blast and it was nice to get out for a while. We left with only minor bumps, bruises and scratches!

Slipin' and Slidin'

Well, summer is definitely here and we wanted the kids to have a new water toy for the backyard. On a stroll through the store, Stephen spotted a slip and slide and thought it would be perfect. I have to say that I had my reservations. All I could picture was screaming and crying from little bodies plopping on the ground. What a relief when I heard giggles instead! At the moment, those are only coming from Aidan, as Emma won't have anything to do with it. That may be because her daddy decided to play a game of kiddie bowling to get them to the end of the slide, of which she DID NOT like! Oh well, she will come around. But for now, I only have pictures to share of Aidan slipin' and slidin'.

This is the "bowling" I mentioned earlier!

Aidan's Car

Ok, so for those who know about Aidan's car, here is the update:

HE HAS NOT DRIVEN IT YET!!!

Aidan got this car in April for his birthday because he LOVED the one that his freind had. For some reason, he has a fit with his own and refuses to drive it.


It is about to make Stephen CRAZY because he was so excited to give it to him, but hopefully it will click soon and he will get in and go!